Ringing out the Old Year with Tim ... Holtz December 2013 Tag

Hi everyone!!  It has been some time since my last post.  I have had a few substantial health issues that have made it necessary to pare down my activities to the essentials:  work and sleep (even housekeeping was marked off the to-do list.)  I am a faculty member at a local university and I just barely made it to the end of the semester.  I really have to thank my students and colleagues for their understanding and support. They were awesome!!  Also, I never would have survived without my Mom.  She came and took care of me while I finished things up.  Then we packed things up and flew to NY for a week so I could have some tests run and see the fabulous nurses and doctors at The Chiari Institute.  I literally posted grades at 30000 feet while on the plane!  Anyway, it seems my new year will contain another surgery.  More on that in a later post.  Right now ... I need to use my energy for more important things ... getting my December 2013 Tag posted before the end of the year!

I have returned to Craftyblogland just in time ring out the year with my take on Tim Holtz's December Tag for 2013. This month, Tim has highlighted a way to use his Frosted Film over Wendy Vecchi's Clearly for Art. His December tag is soooooo gorgeous!! Check out all the step-by-step details on Tim's Blog here! 

I absolutely adore the luminescence of Tim's frosted film.  The detail photos are taken on my craft table.  I hope these photos capture some of the subtle sparkle.

 

I did a few things different from Tim's tutorial.  First, I didn't have Clearly for Art.  I tried several different types of clear plastic (shrink plastic, overhead transparencies for presentations, etc).  I finally opted for a recycled page protector insert from one of my many notebooks.  It worked pretty well when I applied heat and curled the leaves of the poinsettia.  Another difference is that I didn't do the white paint splatter at the end.  Honestly, I forgot to do this.  I really like the end result as it is.  And finally, I did a different treatment on the poinsettia leaves. 


Check this out ... I did a little stamping!

 

 

I used some of Tim Holtz's Classic Favorites stamps (Classic #3) along with vintage text stamps on my Frosted Film covered die cuts.  Like Tim, I used archival ink.  I was really surprised how well the Frosted Film took the stamped images.  After I completed my stamping on the leaves and petals.  I used a ink blending tool and edged each die cut with archival ink (I used one of the colors of the stamped images for the blended edging).  Then I added heat to bend the petals or leaves.

Here is a shot of my completed tattered poinsettia.  The poinsettia is backed by a wooded ornament that I painted with silver acrylic paint.  When the paint dried, I used a ink blending tool and added some Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  This was then covered with Rock Candy Crackle Paint. 

I used Distress Markers (Evergreen Bough and Festive Berries) to outline my embossed stamping at the bottom of the tag.  (The vintage text tape was added to cover up a blood stain from a paper cut that I didn't realize I had until it was too late.)

Finally I added a "25" charm from Industrial Chic and a tiny tag with a sentiment for you all ... good cheer throughout the new year!

I wish you all a very blessed and happy New Year.  My 2013 has truly been blessed and enriched by the new friends I have made through this crafting community.  Thanks so very much for your visits, comments, and support.  Most of all, thanks for adding color and beauty to this world through your art.  I am so looking forward to seeing where your creativity takes you in 2014.  -- Mary Elizabeth

Count Down to Christmas with 25 Ornaments

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is Countdown to the Holidays.  What a great theme!  I decided to play along with the 25 paper ornament gift tags (which will be bundled and given to friends as a part of early Christmas gifts) that I've made over the last few weeks.  Here is a picture of all the ornaments together.  I didn't put numbers on them, but you can count them for yourself ... there are 25 :) 

Forgive the photo intensive post and the terrible photography.    I am including individual shots of the 25 different ornaments.  Each of the ornaments started out as die cuts from Tim Holtz's Sizzix Movers and Shapers Carved Ornaments #1 or Carved Ornaments #2.   Most of them have a base that was cut out of pattern paper.  I used Distress Ink, Distress Paint, Distress Markers, Stickles, Multi-Medium, paint pens, alcohol ink markers, embossing folders, embellishment stickers, other die cuts, etc to decorate them.  If you have any questions about how one was made, drop me a line or leave me a question in the Comments section. 

 Well, it looks my Christmas season has started off Merry and Bright.   I hope you are enjoying the creativity of the season as well :)  -- Mary Elizabeth